Container



Patented Dec. 7, 19u43 CONTAINER Robert C. Carlson, Terrace lark, Ohio, assignor to John J. Emery, doing business as Emery Carpenter Container Company, Cincinnati,

Ohio

Application Amst s, 1940. semi Nn. 351,820

1o claims( (ci. 22a- 5.5)

This invention relates to containers which are made of berboard, paperboard or like material. The invention is directed particularly to a `crintainer which is of general cylindrical form of the type adapted for use in the shipping of chemicals, colors, powdered substances, and like materials.

The primary object of the present invention has been to provide a container which is of substantial strength and which embodies end closures that are devoid of cavities or crevices through which powdery or other substances might tend to sift or seep. The object also has been to provide a very simple and economical method for manufacturing a container having these characteristics.

Briefly, the present invention is predicated upon the concept of providing at the endwise closure of a container a gasket which is made of corrugated paperboard or the like. The marginal portions of this gasket are clamped between appropriate inner and outer members to such degree that the corrugations are crushed to reside in a substantially continuous plane, and thereby conform to all of the irregularities or variations in the surfaces of the members at either side of them. A closure constructed in this manner is almost gas tight. it is devoid of crevices or cracks through which even-the most finely powdered material might tend to seep during the usage or handling of the carton, and inwardly of the marginal portion of it, the gasketmember serves as a structural reinforcement for the endwise closure.

Since the bottom of the carton is the portion for receiving the greatest strains, the improvement is incorporated at this portion of the carton. However, containers of the type to which the invention is directed also have closures for the upper ends of them. and the present improvements may be incorporated in these caps or heads, as well as at the bottom.

In the .preferred structure.. the tubular cylindrical wall which forms the body of. the container is comprised of an inner member and outer member telescopically engaging one another. The outer member extends beyond the inner member at the end which is subsequently to be formed into the closure and these two members marginally are turned inwardly to provide a stepped seat; this portion forms the base or foundation of the endwise closure structure. i

The paperboard gasket rests upon the seat ledges and, interiorly of it, another disc is provided which is of substantially the diameter of the body of the carton. At the exterior of the.

bottom ange, a disc is provided to extend over the bottom area.

In the preferred method of manufacturing the containers of the present invention, the discs described above are assembled together loosely, then are brought into compressed relationship with one another, for instance, by means of dies which engage the outer and linner members. As the compression proceeds, the portion of the gasket which rests upon the innermost ledge of the bottom seat is crushed to the greatest degree and the marginal portion which is adjacent the next ledge of the bottom seat alsois compressed but to a somewhat lesser degree, for instance, to a thickness substantially half that of the gasket itself. The remainder of the gasket; that is, the

portion which extends across the annular opening in the bottom flange is substantially uncompressed and forms a filler so that the assembled parts across the bottom closure are of substantially uniform thickness. This filler portion of the gasket also has the additional function .of rigidifying the bottom construction against lateral collapse and the ribs or corrugations in the gasket provide the strength-requisite to prevent the bottom membrane from sagging under the weight of the contents of the container.

A preferred embodiment of the present improvement is illustrated in the, accompanying drawing in which: i

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing the end of a container which is ready to be fabricated for the closure of the end of it.

Figure 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the parts in the. relationship in which they are subsequently to be assembled and compressed.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional fragmentary view showing the assembled parts in compressed relationship.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a modified form of end closure'in which the central'portion of the bottom is offset inwardly from the rim portion.

Figure 5 diagrammatically illustrates one manner of using compression dies for assembling the parts of the end closure.

The container tube which is shown in Figure 1 is comprised of an inner member 2 and an outer member 3. These shells 2 and 3 may be made separately and the inner shell, after being fabricated, dried very thoroughly so that it shrinks to the smallest possible diameter; then an outer shell, in moist condition (so as to be of enlarged diameter) is slipped over the dry inner member, and the two are glued together. The

outer shell shrinks as it dries, and thus produces a ilrm hard drum body. In place of this im-l proved method, the shell or cylindrical body of the container may be made in any other suitable manner, such as by the winding of a web of paper upon a mandrel to build up a body wall which is of suitable strength and thickness.

As shown in Figure 1, an annular lip `portion 4 is provided at the end of the container at which the closure is to be provided so as to delineate an annular shoulder inwardly thereof as indicated vat 5.

The endwise portion of the container, at a point somewhat interiorly of-the shoulder 5, is turned inwardly to provide a flange indicated generally at 6, as shown in Figure 2. This flange is comprised of an upper ledge 'I and a lower ledge 8 with the shoulder portion 5 delineating the two. The stepped flange 8 may be pleated radially as at 9 in themanner disclosed in my copending patent application, Serial No. 312,061, filed January 2, 1940. and now issued as United States Patent No. 2.311,291. or slotted radially or formed in other suitable manner. The stepped ledge extends inwardly from the Wall of the container to provide a foundation for the endwise closure.

The gasket member is indicated et I and comprises a disc of corrugated` paperboard or other suitable material. such as relatively soft paper stock of substantial thickness. which may be crushed or compressed. This disc preferably is of somewhat lesser size than the internal diameter of the body of the carton, but is sufiiciently large to rest upon the upper ledge 1 of the stepped seat. An interior closure disc II dimensioned to fit snugly within the container body is located above the gasket piece and this member is preferably made of paperboard or chipped board or other materials suitable for forming the interior floor of the carton. The disc I2 may be a paperboard member of substantial thickness in. cartons where great bottom rigidity is required or it may be a simple facing piece cut to extend over the bottom of the container to make it finished in appearance.

'I'he inner disc I I, the gasket I 0. and the stepped ledge, with or without the bottom facing, are in clamped glued relationship in the finished struc--y ture as shown in Figure 3. In this condition the central portion of the gasket; that is, the part within the aperture delineated by the flange 6 is of substantially unreduced thickness and the upper surface of it is substantially flush with the upper surface of the ledge 1, while the lower surface of it is substantially flush with the outer surface of the ledge 8. `This portion of the corrugated disc constitutes the filler by which the thickness of the bottom closure is made uniform.

I'he portion of the gasket I0 which resides intermediate the disc II and the inner surface of the ledge 8 is crushed substantially as shown at I3 in Figures 3 and 4.

At the portion of the gasket intermediate the upper ledge 1 and the disc I I the gasket is crushed ilrmly against the upper surface' of the upper ledge to such a degree that the identity of the.

corrugations is substantially destroyed in this area.

As shown in Figure 5, the endwise portion of the body is dented and turned partly inwardly so that pleats will be formed along the lines of the indentation. The body which is prefabricated in this manner is then placed down over a die member II- upon which the inner disc II and the gasket I2 previously have been placed. Glue is spread over the meeting faces of the discs and over the flange portion of the container as the parts are being assembled. The upper die Il,

which has a cavity for receiving the turned ilange loportion of the body is then brought down over the flange portion of the body, to complete its final contour. This operation presses all of the parts together, crushes the corrugations of the gasket at the portions at which they are in contact with the flange or flanges, and the adhesive unites the parts so securely that the parts are substantially integral with one another.

The method of pleating the `bottom flange, as illustrated in Figure 5, and the structure of it, as

well as the advantages, are disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 312,061.

'I'he stepped manner in which the gasket is installed in the endwise closure provides a number of important practical advantages. The paper gasket member, being collapsible, or compressible provides a gasket which is relatively resilient and, therefore, it continues to seal the irregularities in the surfaces of the assembled discs and bottom seat. Since the distortion of the corrugations recedes by steps there is no such abrupt change in thickness that either the corrugations or the facing members of the gasket are fractured or torn. Still more important, the only path through which material might sift from the interior of the container to the exterior is a very tortuous path by virtue ofthe steps in the ledge about which the bottom closure is fashioned.

The lip l, being of lesser thickness than the wall of the container in the preferred structure 40 may extend inwardly for a considerable distance without undue precautions being taken to avoid excessive irregularities or unusual configurations to take up the excess of material which accompanies the inward turning. The lip l therefore serves not only to provide a ledge to which the bottom closure members can be fastened, but also provides stiffness to the bottom closure members to prevent the lateral collapse of them.

After the parts have been brought into the assembled relationship with the gasket clamped intermediate the ledges and the inner disc, the assembled members are stitched together as at I4 with the bottom facing I2 being pasted in position to provide a finished exterior surface.

'I'he structure which is shown in Figure 4 is substantially the same as the structure shown in Figure 3, but illustrates a modification in which the endwise portion of the body of the container is turned inwardly, then upwardly, then inwardly again so as to provide an annular recess surrounding the stepped ledge. In this arrangement, a rim, I5, extends beyond the central portion of the body closure; that is, the bottom is oiset from the rim and therefore, is not muti- 65 lated when the carton is slid across the floor.

' In the annular recess within the rim, a stiiIener ring I6. of suitable paperboard material, is inserted, with the lower disc II extending up over the ring to complete the structure. In this instance, the facing disc I2 resides in the annular cavity delineated by the rim.

The stepped form of flange which is illustrated in the drawings is preferred in the practice of the present inventionfor the reasons which have been advanced. However, the gasket may be employed with a flange of uniform thickness, such as a flange turned inwardly fromA a single thickness bodywall, and such a flange may be pleated as disclosed in the aforesaid copending application, Serial No. 312,061, or may be constructed in' the usual manner as desired. Those skilled in the art readily will understand that these modifications of the preferred embodiment are comprehendedV within the scope of the improvement. It will also be understood that, while. the present invention has been disclosed in relation to the bottom closure of a container, its improvement may be used also for the top structure. In such cases, the upper portion of the body of the container is preferably counter-turned, and the top provided with a depending skirt, dimensioned telescopically to llt the body of the invention in the usual manner.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A fiberboard container which is comprised of a circular wall portion forming a container body, an inturned flange portion integral therewith and forming a foundation for the closure of the body, a disc member fitting snugly within the body portion and a corrugated paper gasket having a compressed marginal portion complementing the contour of said flange and being clamped between said flange and said disc, and having a central uncompressed portion extending across the opening delineated by said flange, with the outer surface of the uncompressed portion residing in a plane substantially flush with the outer surface of said flange.

2. A berboard container which is comprised of a circular wall portion forming a container body, a stepped flange turned inwardly from said body portion at an end thereof, a gasket of paperboard material having a compressed marginal portion of reduced thickness complementing the contour of the flange and having an uncompressed center portion extending across the opening in the flange, with the outer surface of the center portion of said gasket residing in a plane substantially flush with the outer surface of said flange, disc mea-ns carried interiorly of the container in engagement with the inner surface of said gasket, and means for binding the stepped flange, the gasket -fnd the disc means to one another.

3. A paperboard container which is comprised of an annular flange at an endwise portion thereof, a wall portion circumferentially extending from said flange laterally thereof and forming a body for the container, and corrugated paperboard means attached to said flange and having f a marginal portion compressed in crushed relationship against said flange and having an uncompressed portion conforming to the contour of the inner edge of said flange and forming therewith an endwise closure for said body portion of the container, and means for binding the flange and paperboard means to one another.

4. A carton which is comprised of a circular wall portion of fibrous material forming a container body, an inturned flange portion integral therewith and forming a foundation for the closure of the body, the said flange portion being made up of ledges at the face of it interiorly of the body, a corrugated paper gasket extending across the body and having its marginal portions compressed to conform to the ledge contours, and having its central portion uncompressed and lying in a plane located substantially between the inner surface of the innermost ledge and the outer surface of the outermost ledge and means for fastening the corrugated gasket member to the said flange.

5. A ber carton which is comprised of a circular'wall portion of nbrous material forming a container body, an inturned flange portion integrally therewith and forming a foundation for the closure of the body, the said flange portion being made up of ledges at the face of `it interiorly of the body, a corrugated paper gasket extending across the body and having its marginal portions compressed to fit` the ledge contours with the central portion of said gasket being uncompressed and lying substantially in the plane of configuration of said flange, and means for fastening the corrugated gasket member in the said flange.

6. A carton or the like which comprises an annular iiberboard shell having an endwise portion turned inwardly to form a seat, a corru-` gated member carried on said seat, and an annular disc member carried on said corrugated member, a 'marginal annular portion of the said corrugated member being crushed against they seat so as to be of reduced thickness and so as to conform to the contour of the seat and with the central portion of said member being uncompressed and conforming substantially to the area delineated by the inner edge of said seat.

'1. A container comprising a first cylindrical body constructed of paper material having an endwise portion turned inwardly to .form a flange, a second cylindrical body member telescopically arranged with respect to the first and attached thereto, the second body member having an en dwise portion turned inwardly over the flange of the flrst'body member and extending beyond the inner edge of the flange of the first body member, whereby said two flanges form a stepped seat, a corrugated paperboard disc having a compressed marginal portion abutting the inner face of the innermost flange, a second corrugated marginal portion abutting the inner face of the outermost flange in partially crushed relationship and a central uncrushed portion extending Y across the opening delineated by the inner edge of the outermost flange, and means for holding said corrugated paperboard disc to said flanges.

8. A container comprising a first cylindrical body constructed of paper material having `an endwise portion turned inwardly to form a flange, a second cylindrical body member telescopically arranged with respect to the first and attached thereto, the second body member having an endwise portion turned inwardly over the flange of the first body member and extending beyond the inner edge of the flange of the first body member, whereby said two flanges form a stepped seat, a corrugated paperboard disc having a compressed marginal portion abutting the inner face of the innermost flange, `a second corrugated marginal portion abutting the inner face of the outermost flange in partially crushed relationship and a central uncrushed portion extending across the opening. delineated by the inner edge of the outermost flange, means for holding said corrugated paperboard disc to said flanges, and a disc of paper material extending to the inner wall of said container over the inner face of said a second cylindrical body member telescopically` arranged with respect to the first and attached thereto, the second body member having an endwise portion turned inwardly over the flange ot the rst body member and extending beyond the inner edge of the flange of the rst body member, whereby said two flanges form a stepped seat, a corrugated paperboard disc having a compressed marginal portion abutting the inner face of the innermost ange, a second corrugated marginal portion abutting the inner face of the outermost flange in partially crushed relationship and a central uncrushed portion extending across the opening delineated by the inner edge of the outermost ange, means for holding said corrugated paperboard disc to said anges, and a disc of paper material extending to the inner wall of said container over the inner face of saidv corrugated paperboard member, with the outer surface of the central portion of said corrugated paperboard member residing in a plane substantially iiush with the outer surface of the outermost flange and a disc member extending across the central portion of said corrugated paper member and over the outer surface of said outer flange and beingadhered thereto. 10. A container constructed of paperboard material comprising a pair of cylindrical body members tted one with the other and adhered to one another, with an end of the innermost body` assaut member terminating at a spaced distance from a corresponding end of the outer body member, the said body members having a marginal portion embracing said ends turned inwardly to provide a stepped ange, with a portion of said nange embracing said steps also being turned upwardly and inwardly such that the said stepped flange is odset from the end of said container and such that `said oset portion delineates an annular rim at the outside of the container and an annular recess at the inside, a ring member tted within said annular recess and a corrugated paperboard member having one marginal portion seated on the inner face of the innermost nange and having a second marginal portion partially compressed seated on the inner tace oi the outermost flange and having a central uncompressed portion extending across the opening delineated by the inner edge oi' the outermost iiange, with the outer face of said central portion residing yin a plane substantially nush with the outer face of the outermost ange, and means for holding the corrugated paper member to said stepped ange for closure oi the end of the container.

ROBERT C. CARLSON. 

